Car-coupling



`(No ModeLE W. o. DOWNEY & JLG. HUMMER. GAR OUPLING.

No.5sz,s15. .Patented Jan.8,-1895.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM CHARLES DOWN EY AND JOHN CHARLES HUMMER, j OF BISHOP, ASSIGNORSOF ON E-THIRD TO W. M. RICHARDS, OF KEELER, CALIFORNIA.

CAR-COU'PLING.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 532,315, dated January8, 1895.

Application filed November 12, 1894. Serial No. 528,463- (Nomodel.)

Our invention relates to that class of cark couplings in which the oldstyle link and pin are us'ed, in connection with means, controllablefrom the side or top of the car, for lifting and dropping the couplingpin, and for adjusting, leveling and guiding the link into the opposingdraw-head chamber.

Our invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of thelink adjuster and the connections for actuating it,

and Lalso in combination with the coupling,

the novel means for operating the coupling pin, all of which we shall,hereinafter, fully describe and specifically claim.

The object of our invention is to provide simple, effective, durable andeasily operated means for raising and lowering the coupling pin, and forproperly and accurately adjusting, leveling and guiding the link in theact of coupling; all operations being performed from the side or top ofthe car, thus obviating the necessity and avoiding the danger of goingbetween the cars, to couple or uncouple,

and the operation of adjusting the link being had by means which, fromthe nature of their construction and the mode of their Operation, arenot likely to jam or cramp.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanationof our invention,-Figure 1 is a perspective view of our car coupling.Fig. 2 is a side` elevation. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the linkadjuster E.

A shows the end of a car, to 4which is attached, in the usual manner,the draw-head B, having the usual coupling link C and coupling pin D.Directly under the draw-head lies the link adjuster` E. This consists ofa sufficiently heavy piece or plate, the outer end or head eof which isof about the same width as that of the draw-head, and is slotted orforked to pass freely by the projecting lower extremity of the pin D.The adjuster head e also bends upwardly to the forward edges of itsforks, said edges being slightly concaved on top to form a bed orresting place for the link sides, and being also bent downwardlyslightly to form a finishing lip or front. The body or shank of theadjuster E is supported upon and is freelymovable lineally within astirrup F and 'a second stirrup F .secured under the guide timbers ofthe draw-head. The rearjend of the shank or body of the adj uster isformed or provided with an upward bend or deep groove e', and theextremity is weighted as shown at W. Now, by reason of this constructionand the free hanging of the adjuster in the stirrups, it results thatwhen the adjuster is forced forward, the bend or groove e at itsrear endwill drop down upon the rear stirrup F', the weight at said end thuscausing the forward end or head e of the adj uster, as it Vmovesforwardly, to rise up under the link, and to lift and hold it level, theamount of movement of the adjuster being properly determined primarily.Upon forcing the adjuster back again, its head moves downwardly andbackwardly, the bend or groove fstirrups in a substantially horizontalposition.

rTherefore, in operation, the adjuster is moved forward lineally, untilits weighted rear end, dropping down upon the rear stirrup, its forwardend is raised up under the link to level it. It holds the link thus andguides it in the act of coupling until, the opposing draw-head, comingin contact with the adjuster, the latter is moved back lineally untilits head lies under the draw-head, out of the way. In these movements ofthe adjuster there is no tendency to cramp or bind, there being only thesimplest forward and backward movement, during which, on account oftheshape, and of the hanging of the adjuster, the head of the latter,moving forward, risesuup, to lift the link, and moves down again, toclear the draw-head, in withdrawing.

Any suitable connections may be had by which to move the adjusterlineally, but in order to prevent any possible cramping we have thecrank g on the shaft G. This crank merely bears behind the weighted rearend IOO of the adjuster, and by its impingement forces the adjusterforward, and then relieves it, so that it may be moved back again, bythe contact of the opposing draw-head. The crank shaft G is suitablymounted under the car and its ends are formed with cranks g which are inconvenient position to be operated from the sides of the car. Itis bestthat these cranks lie wholly within the plane of the sides of the car sothat they will be out of the way and will not be liable to be displacedby contact with anything; and to better hold them in the position towhich they are to be adjuzsted, they may work in proper racks, such as gAcross the end of the car and mounted in suitable bearings, is a rockshaft H to which, about its center, is attached a crank arm h, theforward end of which is forked and upturned and is adapted to engage thehead of the coupling pin D. The ends of the rockshaft H are providedwith cranks h by which it-is operated, whereby, through the centralcrank h, the coupling pin maybe raised and lowered. The cranks h areadapted to be operated from the sides of the car, though it is obviousin this case, aswell as with the shaft Gbelow, that suitable connectionsmay be had with said shafts, by which they may be operated from the topof the car.

The object of slotting or forking the forward end of the adjuster E andthe forward end of the pin lifting crank his to permit the properlongitudinal movement of the drawhead of the coupling. This isnecessary, because both the adjuster and the crank arm are not connectedwith the draw-head, but as they are either connected with or in closeproximity to the coupling pin which moves with the draw-head it isnecessary that they be so constructed as to permit the independentmovement of the latter. This connection is also a loose enough one toprovide for the lateral play of the draw-head. The slot in the crank armh also provides for the movement of said crank arm through an arc of acircle in rising and falling, while the coupling pin which it raises,moves up and down in a straight line, for the reason that as the arm andpin rise, the head of the pin slips down to the base of the fork of thearm, and out again, as it is lowered. The slot or fork in the adjusterbelow will also provide for the drawing out of the draw-head or itscarrying away without affecting the adjuster.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In combination with the coupling link of a car coupling, a means forleveling and guiding the link consisting of a freely-sus-v pendedlongitudinally-slidable piece or plate having its forward end upturnedand its rear portion weighted, said piece or plate being mounted insuitable bearings and having a bend or deep groove at its rear wherebywhen the link is adapted to lieand a weighted rear end adapted when theadjuster is moved forward to cause itshead to rise up under and supportthe link, and means operative from the outside of the car for forcingthe adjuster forward, consisting of va shaft having a crank adapted toimpinge against the weighted rear end of the adjuster.

3. In combination with the coupling link of a car coupling, an adjusterfor leveling and guiding said link, consisting of a plate or piecesuspended freely from the car under the draw-head and adapted to moveback and forth in a plane parallel with the length of the draw-head,said plate having a head on which, when projected beyond the draw-head,

the link is adapted to lie and a weighted rear end adapted, when theadjuster is moved forward, to cause its head to rise up under andsupport the link, and means operative from the outside of the car forforcing the adjuster forward,consisting of a shaft having a crankadapted toimpinge against the weighted rear end of the adjuster, saidshaft having end cranks for operating it which lie within the plane ofthe sides of the car.

- 4. In combination with the coupling link of a car coupling, anadjuster for said link consisting of the plate or piece suspended orhung from under the car directly under the draw-head and adapted to moveback and forth in the direction of the length of the car, said platehaving the forward end or head upon which, when projected and elevated,the coupling link is adapted to lie, and the bend or groove at its rearend and weight at the extremity thereof, whereby when moved forward saidrear extremity drops down and elevates its forward end or head, andmeans operative from the outside of the car for moving the adjusterplate or piece forwardly.

5. In combination with the coupling link of a car coupling, an adjusterfor said link consisting of the plate or piece suspended from under thecar directly under the drawhead and adapted to move back and forth inthe direction of the length of the car, said plate having the forwardend or head upon which, when projected and elevated, the coupling linkis adapted to lie, and the bend or groove at its rear end and 'weight atthe eX- tremity thereof, whereby, when moved forward, said rearextremitydrops down and IIO elevates its forward end or head, and meansx operative from the outside of the car for moving the adjuster plate orpiece forwardly, consisting of a shaft having the central crankimpinging against the rear end of the adjuster plate.

6. In combination with the coupling link of a car coupling, an adjusterfor said link consisting of the plate or piece suspended from under thecar directly under the drawhead and adapted to move back and forth inthe direction of the length of the car, said plate having a forked orslotted forward end or head playing by the coupling pin and upon which,when projected and elevated, the coupling link is adapted to lie, andthe bend or groove at its rear end and weight at the extremity thereof,whereby when moved forward said rear extremity drops down and elevatesits forward end or head, and means adjuster, the rock-shaft on the endof the car and the crank arm of the rock-shaft forked 3o or slotted overthe coupling pin.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

WILLIAM CHARLES DOWNEY. JOHN CHARLES HUMMER. Witnesses:

GEO. L. ALBRIGHT, B. F. Soo'r'r.

